Hamlet Murder Quotes

While Hamlet delays in killing Claudius, it is not because he is incapable of murder. To the contrary, his callousness is displayed when he brutally stabs Polonius hidden behind the arras and “when he deliberately, and even craftily, with complete unscrupulousness of a prince” (Freud 86) orders the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet shows no remorse for the murders. Prior to the fencing match, Hamlet describes the murder of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Horatio, stating: Why, man, they did make love to this employ- Ment. They are not near my conscience; their defeat Does by their own insinuation grow. ‘Tis dangerous when the baser nature comes Between the pass and fell incensed points Of mighty opposites. (Hamlet.5.2.56-62)
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Based on these examples, Hamlet’s demeanor allowed him to easily kill multiple people without regard or remorse and thus he should not have hesitated in killing Claudius, a person who killed his Father and married his Mother. However, this is not the case, despite his promises to get his revenge “with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love” (Hamlet.1.5.29-30). This same idea was mentioned by Sigmund Freud in “The Interpretation of Dreams” when he states “The plot of the drama, however, shows us that Hamlet is by no means intended to appear as a character wholly incapable of action… What is it, then, that inhibits him in accomplishing the task which his father's ghost has laid upon him?” (Freud, page 86). Additionally, Jones noted that “there is every reason to believe that, apart from the task in question, Hamlet is a man capable of very decisive action” (Jones 77). These quotes further support my opinions that Hamlet acts decisively when it comes to taking the lives of others, as such, he hesitance to kill Claudius must related to a deeper